Wake Size, Erosion, and Banning of Watersports Discussion

[DanielC]

Wakeboard1 wrote, in part,
"It seems a little ridiculous for wake enhancing devices to be banned."
I agree. It is ridiculous.

Pay attention now.
IT IS ALREADY HAPPENING!

http://www.boatoregon.com/OSMB/WakePage/WakePage.shtml

[Hollywood]

Wakeboard1 wrote:.....

I don't know I stopped reading after the second sentence.

Not all waterways have big cruisers throwing up 4' wakes. I am talking about spring fed X00 acre lakes that have not see these kinds of rollers before. Not all shorelines get pounded by the wind. The ones that do have seawalls and beefy docks. The ones that are secluded have been getting damaged by ballasted boats that have not seen these kinds of waves before. Yes, I know they need to adapt but there is a line somewhere as to what is reasonable and what not. Believe me, even as a overall "skier" I'm usually on the unreasonable side of most of these issues.

If you have to deal with 30' cruisers and powerboats then a wake boat's rollers aren't anything out of the ordinary. Don't assume your scenario is the same for everyone else.

[jward]

Wow this one got out of hand in a hurry! Sounds like some of you skiers have been needing to get some of this off your chests for a while now. Alright, it's out, take a deep breath. Think of it this way. If you get your way and our boats are banned, then wakeboarding popularity will die as well as the sale of wakeboard specific boats. I can't think of a worse thing to happen to the boating industry right now. But, lets not worry about your favorite boat manufacturer going belly up, lets be selfish with the smooth water.

I grew up on a slolam ski. Started wakeboarding and never looked back. I am 32 years old and don't plan on ever going back to skiing. I don't have to be "going big" as hollywood says, to have fun on a wakeboard. Its all about straight up and straight back down the transition. And a HUGE wake not only makes that easier but a heck of alot more fun.

SKIING MADE ME BOARD!!

[DanielC]

Let me try again.
I am NOT advocating banning wake boarding, or wake surfing.
I am a skier, and I am on a show team, and have been in practices that have had pyramids come down because of the wake made by wake board boats. In spite of that,
I repeat, I AM NOT ADVOCATING BANNING WAKEBOARDING!
I am not being sarcastic, I honestly do not want wake boarding banned.

If you are a wake boarder, or a wake surfer, now, for the most part, you can create as big of a wake as you want. But there are groups who want to ban this activity, and it not waterskiers. It is environmental groups who are using perceived shore erosion as a way of getting attention of state legislators, to ban ALL power boating.

If you insist on cruising down the river, making huge wakes for no apparent reason, listening to excessively loud and unwelcome music, some of which may be in some peoples minds be vulgar, you can expect more bans on wake boarding in the future. Your actions now are are making it easy for groups like riverkeepers organizations to get the attention of state legislators, and pass bans on towed water sports.
The previous statement was my opinion, and my opinion only. I am exercising my right to free speech.
Wakeboarders, and Skiers you are not the enemy to each other. There are groups that want to ban both of you. Protect your ability to use public waterways. Skiers, and wakeboarders, you need to join together, along with PWC users, fisherman, and even boaters who pull tubes to fight united against groups who want to ban ALL POWER BOATING.
Ten years from now I do not want my only choice of river recreation to be paddling around looking at birds.

[OKWAKEBDR]

How old are you people? I can't tell if you're 76 or 6?

[GoBig]

Winter is obviously upon us. This sort of stuff always comes up in the winter. All the angst!

[SuperSquirt]

I understand where DanielC is coming from, and he does show respect to both sports. However, he is preaching about something going on in Oregon and has absolutely nothing to do with TN, where the boating industry is huge. MONEY=POWER, I don't think environmentalists could ever pull it off here.

As for the entire wakeboarding/skier issue, the best water in any lake is first come first serve, a lot like parking spots at your football tailgating spot. You snooze, you lose. I bet you old guys (aka Skiers) are the type of people that would sit on the front row of a football game with your season ticket and get pissed off at some people having a good time drinking and screaming a few seats behind you. You guys are going to have to realize that people have different ways to express their freedom and how they have fun.

[jasper]

I don't think environmentalists could ever pull it off here.

I hear ya. And I didn't think Obama could ever be elected to be president...

[WakeSlayer]

Here we go...

[DanielC]

I understand where DanielC is coming from, and he does show respect to both sports. However, he is preaching about something going on in Oregon and has absolutely nothing to do with TN, where the boating industry is huge. MONEY=POWER, I don't think environmentalists could ever pull it off here.

And my somewhat predictable response is, that is what we thought here.

[SkiTower]

I bet you old guys (aka Skiers) are the type of people that would sit on the front row of a football game with your season ticket and get pissed off at some people having a good time drinking and screaming a few seats behind you. You guys are going to have to realize that people have different ways to express their freedom and how they have fun.

Define Old...Skiing vs. Wakeboarding has nothing to do with age. And this is why I don't go to many games. It's one thing to have a reasonably good time but another to go overboard and ruin everybody else's day.

And it's not necessarily first come first serve. It's the difference between wanting nice water and not caring. The one not caring will win every time.

There's nothing wrong with wakeboarding wakes but as in everything else in life you should respect other people around you. Going by a dock with the undesirable tunes blaring isn't going to win friends.

[Roddyj]

i COMPLETELY agree on the music. the loud music sucks. its obnoxious. if anything, that is what can and does give us a bad image sometimes (IMO).

[ClemsonDave]

Why does this need to be boarders vs skiers? I only ski in public water in the winter time, but we get a long great with the boarders. It's a select few of the dang fishermen that suck! We are always very polite to them, but they insist on fishing/drinking right in the middle of the course for hours (catching nothing). Then they cut the buoys and lines.

[johnboyy7]

as a wakeboarder i like smooth water too. ballast or no ballast, 10,21 or 34mph......... your boat makes waves. some are bigger, some are smaller but they all rough up the water. ex.... we all hate jet skis. they weigh as little as 1 fat sac and ruin the water. case in point.

[pj]

I think this is pointless bickering. I was told this summer that wakeboarding is a dying sport.